Founded in 2001, LeRoy Heritage Museum purchased and renovated the former Open Hand Grange on Mill Street in LeRoy, opening to the public in 2010. Beginning with LeRoy history, the museum soon added the history of Barclay Mountain to its collection.
The museum has grown rapidly over the years and has developed a need for more exhibit space, programming space, storage space, and a larger research library. The museum began looking at options in 2012 and since then has considered four different properties. Only one of these, the historic hotel set on 3.7 acres, met all of the needs.
Funds for the property purchase were donated by Rodney B. Mott. Mr. Mott was raised in LeRoy along with his four siblings by his parents, Frank and Betty Bly Mott (now deceased). Mr. Mott is a former CEO in the steel industry. Now retired he currently resides in South Carolina and Tennessee.
This contribution has made it possible for the museum to concentrate specifically on raising funds for renovation work. The museum is beginning a major fundraising campaign with a goal of $250,000 to cover both restoration of the historic building and the creation of an endowment fund for long-term support of the museum. A number of donors have already given contributions amounting to almost 1/3 of this goal and the museum is seeking others to get on board with this exciting project. The previous owners of the property invested significant funds in replacing mechanical systems, roof, windows, insulation and more. The museum will focus on completing public building code updates and turning the building into a functioning museum. The elaborate cherry staircase and other Victorian era features will be preserved.
Plans call for the first floor of the hotel to become the museum with four major exhibit rooms, a larger gift shop, and a volunteer room. Large pocket doors separate two of the exhibit rooms and these can be opened for larger temporary exhibits. The second floor will contain the restored Victorian ballroom for events and rooms for storage, the museum office, and an onsite caretakers living quarters. The basement will contain a workshop for the cleaning and restoration of new museum pieces while the attic contains space that can be finished for future storage needs. The two floors of the house contain over 5,600 square feet of space and as much as 9,000 square feet including the unfinished basement and attic spaces. The current museum building, in comparison, contains 2,500 square feet of space.
The current museum building, located on Mill Street in LeRoy, will contain an expanded local history research library, gift shop and a first-floor multipurpose room for local history programming, handicapped accessible research space and special museum events.
Built in 1896 by the Lewis Brothers company of LeRoy, the shingle-style Victorian was built to house a hotel and ballroom/opera house, general store, post office and lumber office. The family business was composed of brothers, George Lewis, Harrison Lewis, and E. Lloyd Lewis, along with a brother-in-law, H.L. Stone. The brothers started in the lumbering business shortly before the end of the 19th century and after several years of success, built the hotel, known as the Lewis House with lumber produced at their portable saw mill on the mountain south of LeRoy. The company cut timber at Cranberry Marsh and moved its way across the mountain to Sunfish Pond and on to Carbon Run. In 1901 the company bid on a lumber contract that would have allowed them to continue working their way across the mountain. The Union Tanning Company ultimately chose the Barclay Brothers of Sinnamahoning, Pennsylvania, and the town of Laquin was born. Lumber stockpiled at the Lewis Brothers mill in Carbon Run was sold to the newly formed Laquin Lumber Company and used to build the sawmill there. The Lewis Brothers then closed down their mill and travelled by railroad to West Virginia and lumbered there for a period of time.
The hotel served as the stagecoach stop for LeRoy and travellers could get food and a room for the night. Regular dances hosted by the LeRoy Silver Cornet Band were held in the second floor ballroom as well as many community events such as LeRoy Center School graduation ceremonies. During weekends, single young men from Laquin would visit LeRoy for some entertainment in the ballroom. As the story goes, one time the young men from LeRoy, jealous that these Laquin men were stealing their girls, threw them out one of the ballroom windows.
In later years, the hotel was turned into a doctor’s office, then a funeral parlor, and finally a rest home before it became a private residence.
The museum board is excited about this project as they have searched for the right opportunity for a long time. “Many hours have been spent over the past four years discussing the best way to expand,” said Matthew Carl, president of LeRoy Heritage Museum. Board members include Scott Shedden, Bob Storch, Lorelei Colton, Tom Carl, Donna Stone, Ann Carl, Dona Beers, Jeanne Butters, Ted Tomlinson, Marie O’Hara, and Matthew Carl.
The new location will be located on Route 414 and will therefore be more visible to travelers.
“Several historic homes in the center of LeRoy have been restored in recent years and the preservation of the hotel as a museum will be a great addition,” said Carl.
For more information about giving opportunities and the recognition that donors will receive in the new museum, visit the museum website at www.leroyheritage.org or call 570-364-5003. Contributions are tax-deductible and may be sent to LeRoy Heritage Museum, Inc., 8051 Southside Road, Canton, PA 17724.